Dean Mumm is the reluctant new pin-up boy of the Waratahs. It was the fend that did it; a left-arm thrust, palm out, that sent up-and-coming Sharks flanker Marcel Coetzee cartwheeling face-first into the turf last weekend.

Mumm's storming run up the right wing secured vital territory when the Waratahs trailed by three points with seven minutes to go. It set up Tom Kingston's try, the five points that won the match, and some self-belief.

The five separate clips of Mumm's heroics uploaded to YouTube have collectively drawn more than 150,000 views and hundreds of comments lauding the Waratahs second-rower's strength.

And yet the 28-year-old is having none of the adulation. ''I don't think it's one of the Titan moments, it's probably getting pumped up a bit I think," he said yesterday. ''It might be my 15 minutes of fame. I suppose I was happy with the run [more than] the actual fend. I think in terms of what we needed for the team it was probably more important. But mate, I mean, I'm not going to talk it up.''

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He was right though, the team did need the run and both fends in that moment. But they will benefit from it more broadly, too. Mumm's gutsiness won back fans, created some desperately needed energy and was a large part of the reason many spectators walked away thinking they might just come back.

''I think it's great that people enjoyed it, and I hope [for] footy we're building some interest for the Tahs games, you know, because it's pretty important. The more people who come out and watch our games, the more the merrier, I think. They'll see a bit more of [Wycliff Palu] and [Tatafu Polota-Nau] than they will out of me but that's what they want to come and see.''